http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In mammals, most lipids (such as fatty acids and cholesterol) are absorbed into the body via the small intestine. The complexity of the cells and fluids that inhabit this organ make it very difficult to study in a laboratory setting. New research from Carnegie's Steven Farber, James Walters and Jennifer Anderson reveals a technique that allows scientists to watch lipid metabolism in live zebrafish. This method enabled them to describe new aspects of lipid absorption that could have broad applications for human health. Their work is published in Chemistry & Biology. http://phys.org/news260112346.html Chemistry Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:26:01 EST news260112346 An unprecedented study of intra-uterine lactation in the tsetse fly, published 18 April 2012 in Biology of Reproduction's Papers-in-Press, reveals that an enzyme found in the fly's milk functions similarly in mammals, making the tsetse a potential model for lipid metabolism during mammalian lactation. http://phys.org/news253979836.html Biology Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:00:02 EST news253979836 The evolutionary processes of unicellular and multicellular organisms are continually under debate. John Torday, Ph.D., a lead investigator at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed), has recently co-authored a book entitled Evolutionary Biology, Cell-Cell Communication and Complex Disease, which incorporates cell biology into evolutionary biology. Rather than focusing on multicellular organisms, the book concentrates on the cell as the smallest unit of biologic structure and function. This is the first time that evolution has been looked at from the cellular mechanistic perspective, making evolution more accessible and relevant to all of biology and medicine. http://phys.org/news246706338.html Biology Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:32:24 EST news246706338 Aging is generally accepted as a universal fact of life, but how do humans and other organisms age at the molecular level? At Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), a team led by Malene Hansen, Ph.D., uses a type of worm called Caenorhabditis elegans to work out the molecular underpinnings of the aging process. In a study appearing online September 8 in Current Biology, they found that two cellular processes—lipid metabolism and autophagy -- work together to influence worms' lifespan. Autophagy, a major mechanism cells use to digest and recycle their own contents, has become the subject of intense scientific scrutiny over the past few years, particularly since the process (or its malfunction) has been implicated in many human diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer's disease. This study provides a more detailed understanding of the roles autophagy and lipid metabolism play in aging. http://phys.org/news234530563.html Biology Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:23:03 EST news234530563 Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), including Yu Li, PhD, and other colleagues, have demonstrated that a nutrient sensing pathway is involved in the disruption of cellular lipid homeostasis in obese and insulin resistant mice fed a diet high in fat and sucrose. This nutrient sensing pathway, which is described in the current on-line issue of Cell Metabolism, may also have implications for the health benefits of polyphenols containing foods against fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, and atherosclerosis associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. http://phys.org/news221226604.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:50:38 EST news221226604 New findings from researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto may shed light on the mechanisms that regulate the organization of receptors on the cell surface, a critical aspect of cell signaling not well understood at this time. http://phys.org/news218640144.html Biology Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:22:36 EST news218640144 Bacteria in the human gut may not just be helping digest food but also could be exerting some level of control over the metabolic functions of other organs, like the liver, according to research published this week in the online journal mBio. These findings offer new understanding of the symbiotic relationship between humans and their gut microbes and how changes to the microbiota can impact overall health. http://phys.org/news218134894.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:30:01 EST news218134894 Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a novel function of brain insulin, indicating that impaired brain insulin action may be the cause of the unrestrained lipolysis that initiates and worsens type 2 diabetes in humans. The research is published this month in the journal Cell Metabolism. http://phys.org/news217081314.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:22:04 EST news217081314 Exemestane, an aromatase inhibitor that blocks production of estrogen, may provide another post-surgery option for postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor positive, early-stage breast cancer. http://phys.org/news211118279.html Medicine & Health Thu, 09 Dec 2010 11:58:11 EST news211118279 A high protein diet during development primes the body to react unhealthily to future food binges. A study on juvenile rats, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism, suggests that lasting changes result from altering the composition of the first solid food that is consumed throughout growth into early adulthood. http://phys.org/news205042496.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Sep 2010 05:30:01 EST news205042496 A pilot study suggests the diabetes medication pioglitazone is generally well tolerated and may warrant further study as a treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the January 2011 print issue of Archives of Neurology. http://phys.org/news203614829.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:30:01 EST news203614829 The true power of genomic research lies in its ability to help scientists understand biological processes, particularly those that - when altered - can lead to disease. This power is demonstrated dramatically in a pair of papers published today in the journal Nature. http://phys.org/news200048182.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:00:12 EST news200048182 A global team of researchers co-led by the University of Michigan School of Public Health has discovered or confirmed 95 regions of the human genome where genetic variants are associated with blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which are major indicators of heart disease risk. http://phys.org/news200074953.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:00:01 EST news200074953 Nutrition experts at Oregon State University have essentially "cured" laboratory mice of mild, diet-induced diabetes by stimulating the production of a particular enzyme. http://phys.org/news198166319.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:12:54 EST news198166319 Melinda Sothern, PhD, CEP, Professor of Public Health and Director of Health Promotion at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, will present evidence that supports relationships seen in adolescents between insulin sensitivity and fatty liver, belly fat, and total body fat and identifies additional potential early markers of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in healthy 7-9 year-old children, including fat in muscle cells, blood pressure, physical activity, and birth weight. Dr. Sothern will present findings of the Early Markers for the Metabolic Syndrome in Youth today in Stockholm at the International Congress on Obesity. http://phys.org/news198139087.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jul 2010 07:38:21 EST news198139087 The ability to combat some age-related diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, may rest with scientists unlocking clues about the molecular and cellular processes governing aging. The underlying theory is that if the healthy portion of an individual's life span can be extended, it may delay the onset of certain age-related diseases. In the search to understand these molecular processes, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have uncovered an important new DAF-16 isoform - DAF-16d/f - that collaborates with other DAF-16 protein isoforms to regulate longevity. http://phys.org/news197741026.html Biology Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:04:21 EST news197741026 Long-term supplementation with dietary antioxidants has beneficial effects on sugar and fat metabolism, blood pressure and arterial flexibility in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism report these positive results in a randomized controlled trial of combined vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and selenium capsules. http://phys.org/news197546213.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:00:02 EST news197546213 Echinacea has been used for hundreds of years as an herbal remedy to prevent or treat colds, and today it is among the most commonly used herbal medicines in North America. However, in spite of its popularity, studies of the effect of the herb on the body's immune system are conflicting. http://phys.org/news197031787.html Chemistry Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:20:01 EST news197031787 One of the pioneers in research on sleep:wake circadian genes, Amita Sehgal, Ph.D., has discovered that fruit flies' appetite and consumption are controlled by two rival sets of clocks, one in neurons and the other in the fly fat body, which is analogous to the liver. http://phys.org/news179329066.html Biology Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:00:01 EST news179329066 (PhysOrg.com) -- In mice fed a diet high in fat and low in fiber, vitamin D and calcium -- the so-called Western diet -- expression of a series of genes collectively associated with immune and inflammatory responses was altered. The findings show that a Western diet induces oxidative stress and alters immune responses in the colon of mice long before tumors occur. http://phys.org/news177232568.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:30:01 EST news177232568 A study in the September 4th issue of the journal Cell identifies a gene that springs into action in response to a high fat diet. Mice that lack the gene become essentially immune to growing obese, regardless of their eating habits. http://phys.org/news171203258.html Biology Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:28:02 EST news171203258 Coffee is routinely consumed in countries within the Mediterranean basin. Coffee, an infusion of ground, roasted coffee beans, is the most widely consumed behaviourally active substance in the world. It contains several hundred different substances including, antioxidants, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals, phenolic compounds and alkaloids. Nevertheless, the effects of coffee on the cardiovascular system have been mainly related to caffeine. Acute and chronic caffeine intake appears to have only minor negative consequence on health. However, high levels of caffeine intake have been related to ventricular arrhythmias. http://phys.org/news170935796.html Medicine & Health Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:10:42 EST news170935796 Indulgence in a high-fat diet can not only lead to overweight because of excessive calorie intake, but also can affect the balance of circadian rhythms - everyone's 24-hour biological clock, Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have shown. http://phys.org/news149769761.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:42:41 EST news149769761